Photos by Kyle Cassidy.

3675 Market Street is officially open. On Friday, Nov. 9th, building management threw an open-house party at the 14-story office tower, intended to be the new hub of the Science Center’s “uCity Square” planned community. Alongside the Science Center, several other building tenants including Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), Biolabs, Backstage Capital, and Wexford Science + Technology opened their doors to the public. All six floors of the event were packed solid for most of the evening as building tenants, sponsors and community partners welcomed guests for tours, drinks, live music, performance art and even the occasional impromptu dance circle.  Continue Reading

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., in the Penn Alexander School gymnasium (enter through cafeteria/blacktop entrance on 43rd street between Locust and Spruce). At its annual meeting, the community group elects new officers and board members and invites guest experts to talk about important community issues. The event is free and all community members are invited to attend, learn more about the organization, and get involved.

This year’s meeting will feature a presentation on a community-influenced, space-based initiative. Julie Bush, Landscape Architect, Principal at Ground Reconsidered, will be the featured speaker on “Penn Alexander School: Re-imagining the Schoolyard.”  Continue Reading

Editor’s Note: This post was submitted by Project MEOW, the West Philly-based volunteer-run cat rescue organization.

This year’s sudden onset of cold weather means it’s time to start bundling up! As you brace for winter, don’t forget the outdoor cats in your community! On cold nights and during inclement weather, shelters for colonies of outdoor cats can make a world of difference to them. Building a shelter for the outdoor cats in your neighborhood has many advantages. Aside from keeping your community cats warm and safe from predators and the cold, it will keep them from burrowing into places they shouldn’t be in order to survive.

Shelters can be built with inexpensive materials such as scrap wood, used dog houses, or plastic totes. The key elements to an effective shelter are insulation and accessibility.  Continue Reading

Neighborhood Time Exchange, the West Philadelphia artist residency program located in West Powelton, is seeking artists for their 2019 residencies. Two residencies will be available next year: February-June 2019 and July-November 2019.

Artists in residency will get free studio space at 4017 Lancaster Avenue, a monthly stipend and basic tools and supplies. In return, Time Exchange will ask artists to give back to the community through working on civic projects suggested by residents and community-based organizations. Artists are also expected to organize open houses, exhibitions, and other events that will help establish a connection with the community.  Continue Reading

Don’t forget to head to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 6 to vote in the midterm elections. All registered voters in Pennsylvania can participate in the election and will be able to choose their candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate (even-numbered districts), and the State House of Representatives.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here to find your polling place.

Here are races of interest for West Philly residents:  Continue Reading

This fall, residents can again participate in the City’s Leaf Recycling program, which begins Monday, Nov. 5. The program is provided by the Streets Department and helps the City keep leaves out of the landfill. Here’s how you can participate in the program, which will run until Saturday, Dec. 15:

Bagged leaf drop-off will be offered city-wide on Saturdays (with the exception of Nov. 24) at 23 designated locations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the duration of the program. Bagged leaves set out for pickup will be collected as trash. Leaf drop-off locations in West Philadelphia are the following:  Continue Reading